"Shadow Bind!"
At the sound of Remily's voice, black, rope-like shadows lunged from beneath the two suits of armor. In an instant, they coiled around the spears held in the armor’s gauntlets. Deprived of their weapons, the suits collapsed like marionettes with their strings cut.
"There, capture complete."
"That was remarkably easy."
The spears, now ensnared by the shadow ropes, thrashed violently as if brandished by an invisible hand. My Mana Perception revealed that the mana was concentrated in the weapons rather than the armor; the spears themselves were the true monsters.
I had heard of these creatures before—undead-type monsters known as Roam Weapons, or Wandering Weapons. They were inanimate objects that had achieved a life of their own, usually by being left in mana-rich environments for long periods or by being bathed in the blood of countless victims. However...
"Where did the jailers' weapons or this armor come from, though?"
"Zombies and skeletons regenerate when damaged, don't they? It is much the same for them," Reinbach explained. "High-tier undead generate equipment as an extension of their own bodies."
"The prevailing theory is that they are attempting to reclaim their former living appearance, equipment and all," Sebas added.
"I see. So that's how it works..."
Even as we spoke, the Roam Weapons continued to struggle against their bonds. Remily followed up with a Light Ball, and they finally went still, clattering to the floor the moment the shadow restraints vanished. It seemed that even in the form of a weapon, undead were still vulnerable to Light Magic.
More importantly, I was intrigued by what I had just seen.
"So that was Shadow Magic."
"Shadow Bind. As you can see, it uses materialized shadows to restrain a target," Remily said. "It’s a high-level spell, but since you can manipulate the ropes with a degree of freedom, it’s incredibly versatile. You can bind enemies, secure objects, or even use it as an emergency lifeline."
"I would definitely like to learn that."
"I figured as much. Once we’re finished with the Everdark Grass, I’ll give you a proper lesson. Oh, and watch this."
Remily cast another spell on the motionless spears lying on the ground.
"Dispel."
A pale light enveloped the weapons for a moment before soaking into the metal and vanishing.
"When you defeat a Roam Weapon, it usually reverts to a normal piece of equipment, but sometimes Dark Attribute mana lingers inside. That creates a curse that can harm the owner’s mind or body. Dispel is a spell for Curse Removal. If you process them correctly like this, they’re perfectly safe to use or sell in town.
"Curses can also be placed intentionally with Dark Magic, so it’s best to know Dispel as a safeguard. I’ll teach you that along with the Shadow Magic later."
"Thank you. I’m looking forward to it."
I meant it. The Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst was right in front of us; I wanted to get the gathering over with as quickly as possible, but it wasn't going to be that simple. My senses picked up a dense cluster of mana signatures behind the doors.
"They’re in there."
"This is the most likely place for undead to manifest; it cannot be helped," Sieber said. "We’ll stick to the plan. Ryoma and I will take the vanguard, while the three of you provide support from the rear. Ryoma, leave the Emperor here. We need to ensure we aren’t flanked."
"That is the wisest course," Reinbach agreed.
"We’ll leave the close-quarters combat to you two," Remily added.
"I have no objections," said Sebas.
"Agreed," I said. "I’ll separate a King-sized unit to come with us and leave the rest to guard this entrance."
With our roles confirmed, I braced myself and pushed the heavy doors open.
"KYAAAAAA!"
Three Ghouls lunged immediately, their shrieks echoing through the chamber. I calmly cut them down with a katana coated in Light Attribute mana, firing off a succession of Light Shots as we stepped into the execution ground.
The interior was exactly as described: a wide spiral staircase descending counter-clockwise. To accommodate the prisoners’ restraints, each step was massive—nearly seven meters wide and three meters deep. At regular intervals, the stairs opened into even broader landings. The footing was solid enough that we wouldn't have any trouble finding space to fight.
The real danger was the central shaft. There might have been railings once, but now it was a sheer drop into the abyss. I made a mental note to stay close to the walls and avoid being pushed toward the center.
"They’re coming in waves!" Remily shouted.
I directed the King Scavenger Slime toward the undead rushing up from below, but three silhouettes leaped over the slime’s mass.
"Light Shot!"
Remily picked one out of the air instantly. Sieber and I handled the other two Ghouls. Even as they fell, more surged up to take their place. It seemed almost every undead in this pit had evolved into a high-tier species.
One Ghoul charged me, claws raised for a strike. It was significantly faster than a standard zombie, but—
"Still too slow."
I swept my blade through its torso before its claws could descend, then followed through with a vertical strike that split its head down to the neck. It collapsed, neither regenerating nor twitching. My light-infused blade was more than a match for them. As long as I watched my footing and didn't get surrounded, we were fine.
"We’ll move down gradually and hold the next landing," Sieber commanded. "Have your slimes clear the corpses as we go. If they pile up, they'll trip us."
Following his lead, we fought our way down to the landing. Reinbach, Sebas, and Remily provided cover fire from the stairs above, their spells thinning the herd before they could reach us.
I kept moving, ensuring my Light Magic stayed active to protect the mages behind me. This was the most intense combat I’d seen since coming to the Town of Ghosts, yet I didn't feel any pressure. Instead, I felt like the tension in my body was melting away, leaving me in a state of perfect flow. It was just like my sparring match with Sieber.
...And yet, it wasn't quite perfect. There was still a slight lag between my magic and my movements.
"Ryoma! Don't try to use magic and the sword simultaneously! Use them in sequence!"
"Understood!"
I pierced one Ghoul through the brow just as two more closed in from the sides. The one on the left was closer; I dodged its lunge, delivered a quick slash, and kicked it back to create space. I used that half-second to sever the arm of the one on the right, landing a follow-up strike to buy more time.
If I follow Sieber's advice...
I stepped between the two, facing the one on the left so they were lined up in front of and behind me. I took a high stance with my katana, fired a Light Shot from the tip over my shoulder at the one behind me, and simultaneously cleaved the one in front of me in two. The transition from magic to blade felt seamless.
"Good! Use magic to cover the sword's openings, and the sword to cover the magic's! That is the essence of the Magic Sword!"
"Right!"
I leaned into the sensation, my blade flashing in close quarters while my magic sniped enemies further down the stairs. With every loop of blade and spell, the last traces of clunkiness vanished.
I continued to hone my style against the Ghouls, incorporating Sieber's ongoing advice into my movements. I wasn't sure how long we fought—it felt like barely ten minutes—but eventually, we reached the very bottom of the pit. The undead were gone.
"...Is that the last of them?"
"It seems so," Sieber said, looking impressed. "Your focus was remarkable. Based on skill alone, I’d be tempted to write you a recommendation for the Knight Order right now."
I appreciated the praise, but I knew there were still areas to improve. If there had been more enemies, I could have tightened up the transitions even further. I’d give myself a passing grade, but the Magic Sword style was clearly deeper than I’d realized. I’d have to keep training.
"Oh, look at how much there is."
The floor of the execution ground was covered in mossy earth, upon which grew clusters of matte-black grass. This was the Everdark Grass that Remily and I were after.
"There’s even more here than I expected," Remily remarked.
"Few people are eccentric enough to come down here to harvest it," Sieber noted. "Given the state of the undead, it’s likely no one has set foot here in years."
"What of the quality?" Reinbach asked. "Could the miasma have tainted it?"
I picked a nearby blade of grass and inspected it. The quality was near-perfect.
"It’s excellent. More than enough for what I need."
"No problems here either," Remily said. "Everdark Grass is hardy against miasma; it even has a slight repelling effect. I’d just like to find some that haven't been stepped on by Ghouls."
"With this many, that shouldn't be hard," Sebas said, moving to help with the search.
We all began to gather the healthy plants, but as I worked, a strange sensation washed over me. It was a faint feeling of wrongness, yet it was coupled with a bizarre sense of nostalgia.
"Something wrong?" Sieber asked.
"No, it's... just my imagination, I think."
I couldn't put the feeling into words, and the more I tried to analyze it, the more I doubted it was even there.
"If you're sure. But speak up if anything feels off," Reinbach cautioned.
"I will."
I went back to work, and the feeling faded into the back of my mind. It wasn't until I was filling my fifth bag of Everdark Grass that the sensation returned—this time, much stronger than before.
"Everyone."
"Did you find something?" Reinbach asked, noticing my sudden stillness.
"I’m not sure how to explain it... but do you feel anything?"
"That’s a bit vague," Remily said. "I don't feel anything out of the ordinary."
"There are no undead nearby," Sebas reported.
Despite their own lack of perception, they trusted me enough to stop and help investigate the floor of the execution ground. I led them toward the source of the feeling.
"It’s right here. This is where the sensation is coming from."
"Here?"
I was pointing to a spot a short distance from the spiral staircase, slightly off-center toward the wall. It looked like a perfectly normal section of the floor. There was nothing visible to distinguish it, yet I was certain.
I couldn't understand why I was so sure, and that uncertainty was frustrating.
"Would you mind if I dug here for a bit?"
"There are no legal restrictions against it," Sebas said.
"The foundation is solid; a little digging won't hurt anything," Remily added. "Just be careful."
I commanded the Steel Slime to shift from its katana form into a large shovel. Coating the blade with Earth Magic—the Break Rock spell—I began to dig. With every scoop of dirt, the sensation intensified.
I couldn't tell what it was. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't a warning of danger either. It didn't feel like a living being. It was just... something. I dug deeper and deeper, eventually creating a hole deep enough to stand in. When I reached a depth of about four meters, Reinbach called down from the rim.
"Ryoma-kun, are you alright?"
"You've been at it for a while," Remily added. "Did you find anything?"
"I’m getting closer," I called back. "I think it’s right—wait! I hit something!"
I cleared away the last of the dirt from the tip of my shovel and stared at the object buried in the earth.
"A mana stone?"